By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
Anecdote: Inflexibility After reading a lullaby (poem) to her class, the teacher wanted to bring out the best of the poem. She decided to act out and animate the message that the poem was trying to convey. She picked up the little, light-weighted kids to model the mother’s character in the poem. One of the
Tags: autism, flexibility, parenting, pretending
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
Dear Parents, You are working so hard to make your dream come true. Your dream of seeing your child losing her/his autism. Alternatively, your second best dream, to see your child inspite of her/his autism happy, independent, and successful. Most importantly, you work so hard to secure your child’s future, more than any other parents
Tags: autism, flexibility, independence, parenting
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
A new resarch in the Time magazine hinting to a new therapy that didn’t get the chance it deserves to be tested. Some researchers believe that with “time” some autistic individuals grow out of autism. Deborah Fein lead a research in the University of Connecticut including 34 individuals ranging from 8 to 21 year-old who
Tags: autism, communication, flexibility, social interaction, time therapy
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
A research that proves once again the importance of early intervention to change the course of the disorder of autism. http://ti.me/Vth7VU Read more about early interverntion: http://bit.ly/M83tEy nadia shanab
Tags: autism, communication, flexibility, parenting, social interaction
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
Today’s Anecdote While so engaged in working with a student on a math assignment I made one of the most common mistakes. I’ve spontaneously used an idiomatic metaphore that I don’t finally regret -at all- having used it. It is up to the reader to tell whether this was a mistake or not. The student
Tags: autism, flexibility, literal
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
Get your child her/his favorite doll, stuffed animal, movie character toy,…and create a story, a dialogue, or a senario of your imagination. Steer the conversation between you, your child, and the doll in the direction of the area you wish your child learns about. During the play pretend a situation that solicits sharing concerns, empathy,
Tags: autism, awareness, communication, flexibility, parenting, social interaction
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
We keep repeating over and over that the main two traits of autism are the lack of communication and social skills. Are educators and parents really doing enough to help improving these two areas of weakness? Acadamic achievements in schools is with no doubt the main focus. Nobody denies the importance of teaching all kinds
Tags: asperger's syndrome, autism, communication, flexibility, independence, parenting, social interaction
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
A creative, compassionate teacher decided to call the buddies coming from SDC (Special Day Class) to join her class the Combo Class. She has actually been very factual by inventing this name. In SDC there is actually at least two grade levels combined in one class. Given the small number in each program, schools cannot afford
Tags: autism, communication, flexibility, mainstream, parenting, social interaction
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
A student with gigantic handwriting had trouble following directions like: “You are writing too big!” or “Write smaller!” or “You need to fit all the words in the assigned space!” or “You are running out of space!”… Today while the student was writing I told him: “Johnny, are you watering your alphabet letters everyday?” While
Tags: flexibility, handwriting
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By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized
This real story took place as I interacted with a ten-year-old student on the spectrum. He is known for being very sensitive and gets easily upset from people’s comments and criticism. He is very smart and hates to make mistakes and keeps blaming himself for his shortcomings. When that happens he refuses to participate in
Tags: communication, discipline, flexibility
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